Viva Pinata: Paradise Lost
by Divine Porcupine
Summary: When the only TV show keeping Pinata Island afloat goes lights out, The cast endures the worst to come as their paradise crumbles beneath them. (Grimdark, Post-Apocalyptic, Based on the TV show, not the game.) [UPDATED WEEKLY]
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

Welcome to picturesque Pinata Island. In its many gardens all matter of pinatas live, dance, and dream that one day… Wait a moment… Those days are far from over. This is a different story now... Far are the days of paradise that reigned over Pinata Island. An empyrean utopia was a farfetched term to describe the now desolate soil and decaying trees that riddled the dying landscape. Carefree days were a pipe dream to many. Ever since the cancellation of their reality show, demands for pinatas plummeted through the floor. With no one wanting to buy and bust open the papery beings, overpopulation began to run rampant across the land. Longevity from lack of beatings was more of a curse than a blessing.

To combat the island's overflow of pinatas, the head honchos at Pinata Central had no choice but to come to a grim conclusion, empty and launch pinatas into outer space to throw their fates against what the galaxies had to offer. Mostly old age killed them before a star could combust their cardboard corpse. Many pinatas were outraged with the mistreatment of their own kin. Unfortunately any riots were swiftly met with a dispersing blast from the Cannonata. All seemed lost under the Pinata Central's tyrannical hand.

The hit cast of the reality show had also felt the bite of recession. Hudson had lost his riches and most importantly to him, his fame. Now a homeless horstachio who roams the shadows of the streets, Hudson hid his face in fear of being next pinata to be sent out into the great beyond. Franklin decided to take his chances off of Pinata Island. With nothing but his surfboard, he took the next wave to who knows where and never looked back. No one has seen heads or tail of him since. Teddington and Tina had physically split from each other, a result of arguing between what to do in the middle of the chaos. Tina took to the sewers while Teddington took to the snowy cavernous mountains in the north.

Les… Well no one knows what happened to Les, He had vanished before the island was hit with the horrid repercussions of a premature season and a series cut short. Ella was too dimwitted and forgetful to last more than a day of riots, needless to say, her days in dystopian Pinata Island were marked short. Fergy was eventually captured by Langston, with a little help from from the lickatoad's cousins. His fate is assumed to be space-bound by now. And lastly Paulie, who now resides with his cousins in the heart of the desert, leading a pack of resistance fighters. And Pester? Well he was ran out of a job. Pinata Central being the new big baddie around these parts, there was just no room for an evil man his stature.

 **** **All too common did the phrase "When will this end" bounce to and fro pinatas. But the truth was, it would never end. There was no hope of a returning show. Nobody wanted the pinatas, so the the Pinatas were damned to die out through brutal extermination… Or at least go out fighting. But to do such was looking death right straight in the eye. How could they amount to anything when the assets were in the enemy's favor? What were the pinatas to do but to wait and suffer until their fateful day of reckoning arrived...**


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

A tall figure clad in full ninja garb had his sights set on Pinata Central, looking to infiltrate beyond the walls that now protected it. Luckily, the hired muscled security were blind as they were dumb, making it easy work to slip through them. Their laser wire detection system was a bit more competent, but was easily maneuvered through just the same. Getting inside the Cannonata tower was a cakewalk for the mysterious ninja. Unfortunately, he was only at the ground floor. The controls to the cannon were positioned near the top. But something was odd… Out of place. the tower was eerily quiet and empty.

It was easy getting this far… But it couldn't have been THIS easy. Something foul was definitely hidden in the air, keeping the ninja on edge. He decided to test the waters climbing up the curving staircase in a casual manner, even placing his stubby gloved hand onto the railing. Dread worked its way under his mache as he knew in the back of his mind he was being watched, and whatever was watching him was waiting. It wasn't until he reached the top that he found the unmanned controls.

" _No Langston_?" The figure thought to himself, curious to where the lickatoad could be hopping about. He had second thoughts about calling out to him. The last thing he needed was the echo traveling out to wondering ears. Change of plans, if he couldn't find a head representative of Pinata Central to grab hostage for negotiations, he would just have to search the console for a self-destruct button. He had gotten this far, why let the opportunity slip away? But just as the edge of his worries began to fade in the midst of the examination. A deep voice called out from above.

"Hudson Horstachio!" The tone of their voice was obviously modulated to sound more evil than it actually was. Its surprise was chilling all the same to the ninja, who watched a plump, one-man saucer shaped UFO float down from the ceiling. "I was expecting you see your face around here sooner or later," It spoke as it descended. "I knew you couldn't stay away! The thought of parties must be eating at you!" It chuckled, now coming into full view of the ninja, who removed his cloth mask to get a better look at the operator of the floating contraption.

"I'm here on the account of my friends!" Hudson said with a heart of valiance, tossing away his mask. His adored fame was long behind him, what use was it in a world governed by total chaos? He tried to inspect his opposer, unable to get anywhere past his metallic, full-body armor. The UFO driver was a small being, probably half the size of Hudson, but whatever he wore, hid his true appearance.

"Friends? What about your fans? Surely they matter as well! You wouldn't want to let them down either!" He hung the fact over the horstachio's head, hoping to break him with the mere mention of it. The metal figure got a bit uncomfortably close, nearly face to face with Hudson before muttering something else to him. "...And remember, you're on camera!" And as if on cue every object capable of recording video and picture was brought down by the many new robotic arms of the Cannonata.

Security cameras, home video recorders, professional film recorders, cell phones, pocket cameras, professional cameras, disposable cameras… You name it, it was probably there. Red dots and bright flashes had scarred the horstachio back into the past, over intoxicating him with his old celebrity lifestyle. He tried blocking away the sight of them all with a shielding arm over his eyes, but the beeps, hums, and clicks of the cameras still carved into his eardrums, torturing his senses.

"Curse you!" Hudson fell to his knees and soon entered into a fetal position, hugging tightly at his legs in a desperate attempt to fight off his former self. All the training in the ways of stealth and discipline still hadn't helped him overcome his biggest obstacle, himself. His pain brought his oppressor much joy, throwing in a hearty laugh or two to add insult to injury.

"You're still the same vain hostachio you were when I knew you!" The figure ended up giving out a little TOO much information, enough to snap Hudson out of his anxiety attack for a moment. The horstachio pulled himself back up to his knees before replying to the comment.

"Y-you... _Know_ me?!" He tried scanning over the rider of the UFO once again, unable to come up with any face to the clue. It could have been a bluff, seeing as Hudson was the biggest face in Pinata Island, his face was practically the mascot of anything Viva Pinata related. Anyone who was anyone knew of his broad mug… But did this hunk of metal actually KNOW him personally. The thoughts flooded through his head, he tried to grab and sort through the memories of his friends frantically. "... _Paulie!? Franklin!? ...Les!? Fer-_!" Before he could finish his list, another robotic arm scooped up the horstachio in one fell swoop.

Its grip was crippling as Hudson was unable to move against it. The hand had brought him back up face to face with the figure again, holding him in place. "Knowing isn't even half of it! We practically _lived_ together!" Hudson had gone through his list again, this time reordering them according to what his captor said, " _Hailey?! Beverly?! ...Francine?!_ " but they were far from the truth as the metallic figure plucked off his own helmet with an audible pop. The sight had Hudson speechless. Not like he could speak anyways, the constriction grappling around his body had the wind pressed out of him.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Hudson!" All traces of his deep dark voice was now replaced with a nasally, high-pitched tone. "But I'll tell you a little secret…" The hand brought the horstachio closer, his ear nearly pressed over his captor's lips. "I shot Langston Lickatoad into space!" The news was chilling to the bone to hear. "Straight into the sun to be exact!" Further details had caused the horstachio to go green in the face. "And the Big Boss?" He added with a sadistic chuckle, "We tracked him down and shot him off into space as well!"

"H-how?!" Hudson managed to sputter out against the pressure applied on him. All this information was difficult for the horstachio to comprehend. He couldn't see his captor being so cruel and arrogant to the irreversible acts that he committed towards his own kind. He might have been sly and conniving at times, but he wasn't exactly a murderer either.

"Simple…" He replied, a devilish smile formed on his lips as a galagoogoo popped out from behind the back of Hudson's captor, soon standing upon the captor's shoulder. The pink critter wore the same safety helmet that Langston did when he was still working for Pinata Central. It wasn't clear on who the galagoogoo was until he spouted out his incomprehensible gibberish. "Les here understands! ...Granted we can't understand him, but he understands the overpopulation issue at hand!" The horstachio couldn't fathom why two of his friends were on the side that wished to see their race wiped out.

Pinata Island had dealt with its overpopulation problems years ago. What they were doing now were crimes against pinata-kind! Langston or the Big Boss would have halted the progress long before now, but it was clear to see why things hadn't changed like they were supposed to. Especially with these two in charge. Hudson was powerless to do anything to stop them.

"Anyways, I've flapped my lips for long enough!" The captor donned his helmet back on, the former tone of voice returning to him. "It's time for you to embrace who you are Hudson!" He waited for the horstachio to reply, only to suddenly remember Hudson was incapable of speaking. "A SUPER STAR!" the armored being answered as a mechanical hand opened one of the cannon latches. It held it wide open as the other hand that was already carrying the horstachio carelessly slammed him inside. The door shut tightly behind him as Hudson instantly bangged on the door for freedom.

"You don't have to do this!" Hudson tried to reason with the duo on the other side, But they would have none of it as the Cannonata took aim for the skies. In a last ditch effort to break free, the horstachio tried to scrape his way up the steep incline, only to find himself getting nowhere. It wasn't long before an ear shattering blast launched him into the open air. The ascent, speed, and the wind against his face, all of it felt like home to Hudson. Memories from before the depression had flooded into the horsatchio's head, distracting him for a brief moment before reality hit him again in the form of a stray seagull.

Hudson shook it off, spitting out a mouthful of feathers with a chain of gags and throaty hacks. It wasn't the first time that a mishap like this had happened. Hopefully it wouldn't be the last, for the sake of all pinatas.

Reacting fast before his body was sent out of the atmosphere, Hudson dug in between his ninja cloak. Grabbing hold of a string from inside, he pulled it to instantly transform his garb into a flying suit, able to navigate away from his original trajectory.

 **** **"** **Viva Pinataaa!" Hudson shouted to the heavens as he headed to the only pinata who he knew could still help, Paulie Pretztail.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The sun was setting halfway through the horizon. It was a beautiful sight to behold from the deserts of Pinata Island, one of the few places where the landscape was untouched by the legion of Pinata Central's militia. Despite Pinata Central sending patrols in and out, there was no life to be found.

If you didn't look underground that is… A whole society was established right below their feet, keeping eye and ear out for any trace of Pinata Central Forces. Granted it was cramped, and over population didn't help their situation at all. If one didn't take up a weapon, they took up a pickaxe or shovel instead to help increase space.

Luckily for their sake, confrontation had never taken place between the desert resistance and Pinata Central Forces. But it didn't hurt to be prepared. Unfortunately, training something that was meant to be beaten to a pulp didn't go so well with most pinatas. Even if they were given all the training in the world, they were still dealing with an army decked out with an unimaginable arsenal. Equipment that was made for killing humans rather than pinatas. It raised a lot of questions about how Pinata Central got their hands on such weaponry.

It was a question that Paulie Pretztail wrestled with from time to time. He was able to get hands on with their equipment with some stealthy bow and arrow shots on some unsuspecting Pinata Central patrol groups. Eventually the pretztail was able to upgrade to a sleek sniper rifle.

As the slumbering sun glimmered against his eyes, Paulie leaned against his sniper rifle. Even though he was on watch duty, the golden sunset still proved to be highly distracting. He missed the times he took the same sunsets for granted, able to watch them without the worry of being hunted… At least when it was just Langston doing the hunting.

"...If only you were still here buddy," Paulie mumbled under his breath, wishing for his best friend to be at his side. "but it's my fault you're gone," he gazed up at the faint twinkling of stars that poked through the skies. "It should be me in space right now, not you," the guilt of leaving his partner in crime behind when they were being chased down by Pinata Central forces still ate at the pretztail.

The haunting memory was crystal clear as if it happened yesterday. Their hideout near the beach coast had been ousted in a barrage of gunfire and bullets, sending them out the back door in a fearful frenzy. They were on the move and making great distance between them. That was until the roar of an engine had caught up to them. A death machine on wheels, armed to the teeth with an assortment of torturing tools that were ready to rip, mame, shoot, and kill.

The sight had only hastened the pair's pace. More bullets scattered about behind them, throwing up dust and dirt all over. It was enough to provide them the cover they needed to safely take shelter in a patch of bushes. They were out of the clear for the moment, taking the opportunity to catch their breath and then some.

It wasn't too long before an unexpected squad had happened upon their location. It was a pre-emptive strike for the soldiers, seeing as the two pinatas were sound asleep. A lone grunt already had Fergy caught and grappled against his armored chest. The fudgehog thrashed about while screaming bloody murder. His cries had awoke the snoozing pretztail, who was supposed to be on watch.

Instantly, instinct kicked in as Paulie chose flight over fight and booked it out of there. Peeking back for just a second, he caught sight of Fergy in tears, still get away. As the pretztail ran, he could hear his name being called over and over again by the fudgehog until it was forcibly silenced. Paulie didn't dare look back a second time.

There was nowhere to hide from the guilt of letting his friend down so hard. No amount love or any amount of alcohol could help Paulie swallow the bitter truth. He had broke many hearts and even more empty bottles in his depressive quest with burying the guilt. He had sworn revenge upon Pinata Central for what they did to his friend.

"I'll return them the favor for you, Fergy," Paulie muttered, "I swear, I'll make everything right again," he recited his bold promise made long ago. But even if peace were to return, it wouldn't bring the fudgehog back.

After another session of reminiscing, the sun had finally set, leaving the Pretztail with just the shimmering stars above. He was about to survey the horizon once last time through his binoculars before a young squazzil came by with a message.

"Commander Paulie, Sir! We have someone in the medical bay who has a message for you!" He spoke out of breath, having rushed to reach Paulie's location.

"Huh?" The chipper voice cut the pretztail from his concentration, irritating him a little. But he held his tongue, fearing what the squazzil had to say might be important. "What did they tell you to tell me?" Though he didn't hold his breath, usually nothing good came from the medical bay. Just some sob story about a really bad game of five finger fillet or a misfire gone wrong on the range, nothing too drastic.

"They said they wouldn't speak to anyone but you about it sir!" The squazzil answered, afraid that request would set Paulie off on a tangent.

"Well tell him if it's that important the-," The pretztail rolled his eyes, about ready to just return to watching the borders when the squazzil interrupted him again.

"People are saying this pinata is Hudson Horstachio, sir!" The young pinata added in, striking a sweet spot within the pretztail as his ears perked up immediately.

"Hudson?!" Paulie was wide-eyed, not hearing that name being spoken in years. He had feared the worst had befell the horstachio as well. "You're not pulling my leg or nothin', are ya?" Paulie had to make sure. If he was being duped into another lame prank through Chortles Chippopotamus again, the pretztail would make sure to use the joking pinata as bait next time for the Pinata Central Forces.

"No, sir!" The squazzil shook his head frantically. It was all the convincing Paulie needed to return to base, heading towards the medic bay with baited breath.


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

The Horstachio was laid out in a makeshift hospital bed, one leg wrapped up in a bandage cast and hoisted in the air by a rope. His arm also given the same treatment, minus the hanging. He was in pain, but it was subtle pangs by this point. The crash landing he sustained in the desert wasn't very pretty, leaving a candy filled trail in his wake. He hadn't had time to get used to the wingsuit, seeing as Pinata Central Forces had many eyes in the sky as well. There wasn't much room to hone his flying and landing skills. Luckily, it had worked out for him in the end. However, it was probably only a matter of time before Pinata Central sent more soldiers to his last known location. He wouldn't be able to stay here long…

Getting to Paulie was top priority at this point. Hudson hoped that his message would travel to the pretztail swiftly, there wasn't a second to lose. He would have gotten to Paulie himself, but within these sandstone corridors and halls, he was as good as lost down here… Not to mention the crowd of pinatas that surrounded his bed, begging and pleading for pictures and autographs. The horstachio hid himself under a pillow, hoping to drown out their noises. " _We're in a crisis right now, and all they can think about is me?!_ " Hudson thought, almost willing to humor just to make them to go away, but to do so would be indulging in a side of himself he wanted no part of.

"Move outta the way! Commander coming though!" The grumbling voice had parted the sea of pinatas straight to Hudson's bed. The sudden silence had stirred the horstachio from his hiding, even raising him up right in a sitting position.

"P-Paulie?" Hudson murmured, wondering if his ears were deceiving him. It had been years since they last met, it was a mystery how he could still recognize his friend's voice.

"Hudson!" Paulie had hopped up onto Hudson's bed. Their eyes had immediately locked into each other's. They were lost in silence for a few moments, their eyes soaking in as much as they could before Paulie bolted to Hutson for a squeezing hug. "It's been forever buddy!" Hudson was taken off guard from the pretztail's back-breaking embrace, seeing as Paulie lugged around a sniper-rifle twice the size of himself and was wearing desert raider styled gear.

"Glad to still see you in once piece!" Hudson returned the gesture the best he could. The crowd around them awed in forced unison, reminding the duo that they weren't alone.

"Uhhh… Little privacy?" Paulie politely asked, but not a soul obeyed, "...That's an order!" He shouted out, every pinata instantly booking it out of the room, with the pretztail slamming the door behind them all. "Ugh…" Paulie grumbled with a sigh, turning around to face the horstachio. "...You look like you've seen better, did you drag yourself over here?" The pretztail had concerns over the wellbeing of his friend.

"Not quite…" The horstachio blushed, recounting the remarkable landing he performed over their hideout. "Anyways!" He redirected the conversation over to important matters, "there isn't much time to explain!" Paulie watched as Hudson, ripped his leg from the rope that elevated it and scooted over to the side of the bed. "Pinata Central Forces are on their way!" He warned the pretztail.

"I was just outside keeping watch, and didn't see a single thing out there. What makes you say that?" Paulie didn't know whether to trust Hudson's words or not. But the horstachio clearly wasn't joking around in the slightest.

"Well about that… I kind of flown myself in… VIP first class," the last bit was added in out of habit. His face hiding every bit of guilt the horstachio had with a nervous, broken smile.

"You did WHAT?!" Paulie grabbed Hudson by the scruff of his chest, dragging him closer, muzzle to snout. "Do you realize what you just did to us!?" The pretztail paused for a moment, only to continue again, "You've jeopardized our whole civilization!" He threw the horstachio back onto the bed.

"But it was urgent! Paulie, you don't understand! I need your help! ...Everyone's help," Hudson begged, hoping to get Paulie's assistance. The horstachio waited a few moments before giving the pretztail puppy dog eyes.

"And why would I do that?" Paulie glared fire into Hudson, looking for a damn good reason to aid someone who sabotaged their way of living. But before the horstachio could answer, an emergency siren rang throughout the halls and rooms, frightening both pinatas.

"What choice do you have now?!" Hudson replied, yelling over the blaring noise. Paulie hated to admit it, but Hudson was right, it would be suicide to stay and fight. The pretztail was better off cutting his losses and making his escape with the Horstachio.

"The choice to kill you now or later?" Paulie's sarcasm was showing. Under other circumstances, Paulie wouldn't have thought twice of beating some sense into the horstachio, but right now he could use all the help he could get.

"We need to get out of here! I'll tell you more on the way!" Hudson hopped out of bed, shedding off the casts without any repercussions. Paulie agreed with a grunt and a nod, taking lead of their escape.

"So what do you need my help for anyways?" Paulie glanced back at the horstachio he asked. The duo galloped along on all fours, getting more speed than conventional running.

"It's about Pinata Central!" Hudson answered back, breathing between every other word. Paulie stopped at a hallway corner, Hudson nearly plowing into him. The pretztail pressed in a certain brick combination before a wall gave way to a hidden passage.

"What about it?" Paulie knew Hudson was beating about the bush. The pair zipped through the doorway, the wall closing up right behind them. The dimly lit hall seemed to go on forever. The distance didn't halt their pace at all.

"Well, I took a grand tour of the place, and what I saw I knew I had to tell you all about it!" Hudson exclaimed, retelling his story with much enthusiasm, almost getting excited over it himself.

"Just get on with it!" What did you see?" Paulie grew impatient with Hudson's storytelling. He hoped in the back of his mind that this would all be worth it. There were lives on the line for this one little detail that Hudson had saved away just for his ears alone.

"I saw Fergy there…" The horstachio began, not knowing how to put it.

"Fergy?!" Paulie was nearly shocked out of his mache. "I thought he was space dust by now!" The pretztail vocalized his thoughts, though thankful the fudgehog was still alive… Or at least Hudson made it sound that way. "Why are they keeping him there?" It didn't take the sly pretztail long to figure out that this didn't add up at all. Pinata Central never kept prisoners for more than a day, and Fergy was long gone for years within their clutches.

"That's where I need your help…" Hudson reminded Paulie of his intentions, knowing in the back of his mind that Paulie wouldn't like what was coming. Regardless, Fergy's best friend needed to hear it.

"Of course Hudson! Anything to help Fergy! ...But can you tell me why Fergy's locked away in Pinata Central? What do they want with him? He not exactly VIP material," Paulie assumed they were holding him hostage in an attempt to coax the pretztail out of hiding. Mulling it over for a few seconds, it still didn't even add up. If they wanted to oust Paulie, they would have made Fergy's imprisonment national news. And even though the two were show stars, they really didn't matter in the great scheme of things, at least not like Hudson and not in today's time.

"It's worse than that…" Hudson kept the pretztail going through hoops, hoping he could avoid telling Paulie entirely. The horstachio believed the pretztail couldn't handle the truth, but he knew if he really needed Paulie's help, he would have to tell him sooner rather later and especially before the pretztail found out for himself.

"What could be worse than being a prisoner? Are they doing experiments on him?!" Paulie's imagination began to wonder into the horrific possibilities that the fudgehog could be in. "Cloning him? Interrogating him? Using him as bait? Tell me Hudson!" The pretztail required answers, but he wasn't ready for what information Hudson tried to hide.

"Well… He's sort of in charge of Pinata Central now…" Hudson tried to drop the bomb casually, but it hit Paulie hard… Real hard. The pretztail stopped on a dime, the answer only providing him with countless questions. Hudson stopped soon after, retracing his steps back to Paulie, waving a hoof in front of the pretztail's face. "Uh… Paulie, you okay?" He spoke to the petrified pretztail.

"...It's all my fault," immediately the tragic memories of Fergy's capture flooded Paulie's thoughts. He fell to his knees, fighting back the tears. Hudson was at a loss for words, wondering how this all could be Paulie's fault to begin with. He could only watch as Paulie muttered the same thing over and over again as the tears flowed until the pretztail passed out, curled up in a ball.

"Paulie?" Hudson stooped down to shake the pretztail with a hoof. No response, "Paulie, come on! Get a hold of yourself and wake up!" He shook him harder, still no response. The horstachio would have to hurry, the walls that were behind them began to close up one after another with a loud shutter. It was only a matter of time before they were flattened like paper. There was no snapping Paulie back awake. Hudson would have to throw the pretztail onto his back and make a run for it.

It wasn't too much longer before the hallway gave way to a dank, murky cavern, just as brightly lit as the hall that closed up behind them. The place wasn't much bigger than the hallway either, only providing the duo a mine trolley with tracks leading into the dark depths below. As much as Hudson's fear kicked in to tell him otherwise, it was the only option that presented itself. The horstachio bucked the pretztail off into the trolley, soon hopping in himself. Disengaging the brake, Hudson prepared for the ride of a lifetime. One hoof gripping onto an edge of the trolley and another wrapped around the drooly pretztail for emotional support more so than keeping him inside the trolley. The horstachio let out a howl of a scream has the plunge took them into the darkness, the fright causing him to fall into unconsciousness as well.


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"Paulie? Hudson?" A familiar, soft voice called out to them both. The pretztail picked up the sound as he felt a nudge against his arm. It was enough to stir him from his slumber. "...Paulie?" The voice noticed the pretztail twitch slightly, Paulie could pin that voice to a pinata in an instant.

"...Tina?" He groaned, peeling his eyes open slowly as the light from the torches on the deteriorating walls attacked his eyes. By the sound of her voice he knew they had reached their destination, but he couldn't remember half of the journey of getting here. He lifted his head up, his vision focusing on the half-twingersnap who wore a rather large, white cowboy hat. Her other half was still long gone after a dispute left them going separate ways. Instead, her end was bandaged up into a makeshift tail.

"Thank goodness you're okay, Paulie!" Tina smiled at the pretztail, but only for the moment, knowing there was only one reason why the pretztail would be around these parts. Paulie's underground encampment was in trouble and traveling through their one way escape route to the sewers only confirmed it further. "You two came through the tracks out cold! What happened?" The twingersnap started asking the hard questions to a pretztail still trying to grasp at reality.

"...I dunno, last thing I remember was that I was running… And then I blacked out," Paulie glanced about with his recovering eyes, searching out for a certain Horstachio. His eyes found Hudson in the cot next to his, snoring like a rashberry. "Hudson must have carried me the rest of the way," his mind subconsciously pushed out all thoughts and mentions of Fergy from his recent memory, leaving him slightly confused about how he passed out in the first place.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm just glad you two are still in one piece," Tina nodded, soon turning her attention to the horstachio as well. "But geez, Hudson snores worse than my brother!" The twingersnap complained which prompted Paulie to ask her a question.

"How's Teddington doing anyways? You still talk with him anymore?" He was genuinely concerned, knowing their bumpy relationship across the years back when things were easy. Hearing her other half's name, Tina instantly scowled, wishing Paulie would have kept his yap shut.

"Fine… Just, fine," Tina didn't elaborate on anything, hoping Paulie wouldn't pry her for more information. Paulie was intent on keeping up with his friend, it had been too long since their last reunion. Discussions of catching up with the times took his mind off the situation at hand.

"So you two at least on speaking terms now?" The pretztail asked inquisitively. Tina rarely got along with her brother, but she would put their bitter history behind her if it meant gathering a resistance and protecting their own kind. Communication was necessary, if not annoying, brief, and few and far between.

"Hardly," the twingersnap rolled her eyes, "and I intend to keep it that way too!" She glared at Paulie, making sure he wouldn't get any ideas of pressuring them to back together again. Of course the first few weeks of separation were rough for Tina, forgetting her other half was practically on the other side of the island countless of times. Eventually, the fact stuck with her that Teddington wasn't there anymore.

"I uh, see…" Paulie felt a little awkward for bringing it up, but it was nice to know that Teddington was still alive, at least according to Tina. Before another word could be said, a bandana-masked mallowolf had made his way into the room, crossing his arms and glaring at both the horstachio and pretztail once he made his entrance. He made himself comfortable, leaning his back against the wall. Tipping his hat down at the pretztail in acknowledgement, the mallowolf turned his head to speak to Tina.

"Looks like our visitors are doing just fine," he commented while eying up Paulie's rifle, which lied against the cot the pretztail was laying in. They didn't have many firearms for their ragtag group of soldiers and Paulie's sniper rifle was mighty alluring to the shady mallowolf. "Though I'm curious to why you trust these... _outsiders_ ," he branded them carefully, though he couldn't help but recognize them from somewhere before. His rash words had set Tina off, taking offense for her friends.

"They're not outsiders, Marvin! I know these people!" She hissed at the mallowolf. Despite being the one who found them, Marvin wasn't fond of them. Regardless, he took them for interrogation, with Tina's permission of course. But plans entirely changed when the twingersnap found out who it was exactly that Marvin found. The fact that they costed him the chance to deliver a good beating didn't sit well with him. Through the mallowolf's eyes, it was boring down here, most of the action was up above, but also certain death. Marvin was bored, but certainly not suicidal.

"They're outsiders to me," Marvin figured he would get the best out of the deal by at least seeing what this ragtag duo was all about. "And I've told you a thousand times, the name's El Sketcho," Marvin didn't like going by his former name at all, but Tina would have none of it.

"Whatever, El Scrapo," the twingersnap would have been gutted by the mallowolf for that kind of remark if she wasn't the leader of their whole group. He had too much respect for Tina to let his pride get in the way. They needed each other in these dark times. El Sketcho needed a place lay low from the chaos and Tina and her crew needed a pinata who was fast on the draw. The mallowolf dropped the pencils and papers in exchange for knife throwing, or anything that was sharp, bladed, and pointed for that matter.

"El Sketcho?" Paulie recited the name, recalling it from way back in the hayday. The pretztail knew the mallowolf looked familiar with that goofy looking bandana over his muzzle and that duster hat on his head. All those years of drinking had nearly washed Marvin from his memories. "I'm surprised you're still around!" Paulie smiled, happy to see another familiar face.

"Surprised?" Marvin raised an eyebrow, wondering why the pretztail would even be so in the slightest. The mallowolf had more experience under his belt than Paulie could ever dream of. But Marvin could see the drastic change the pretztail made since they last met, especially through his eyes. "I'm more surprised about you pretztail, thought the world would have chewed you up and spat you out by now," Marvin replied with brutal honesty that hadn't phased the pretztail at all.

"Hey, when the mache hit the fan, it either made us or broke us," Paulie crossed his arms with a smug, candy-eating grin. His cocky attitude didn't go over so well with the mallowolf.

"Glad to see that celebrity status didn't go to your head 'er nothin'," Marvin replied in dry sarcasm. Being fluent in it himself, Paulie interpreted it as an attack, but didn't let it hurt him in the slightest.

"Ouch," Paulie feigned getting hit in the heart by a bullet. "I can see your words are still as sharp as your aim," the pretztail laughed it off. It was true though, off the camera Paulie used his status to hook up with as many girls as he possibly could. It wasn't until the show finally ended that he tried to settle down with someone. Though his motives seemed to fail time and time again as no one had any interest in a has-been. And things only had gotten worse since then.

"Anyways," Tina cut in, returning their attention to the matter at hand, "they're fine, no need to worry, Marvin," the twingersnap motioned with an upward nod for the mallowolf to leave. Marvin refused to budge from his spot, wanting to catch up with old acquaintances. He completely ignored Tina and continued to converse with the pretztail.

"What brings you city-slickers down here anyways?" Marvin asked at the pretztail, Tina turning also to face Paulie for an answer, wanting to ask the same question herself. The pretztail glanced over to the sleeping horstachio for a moment to recollect his thoughts from before.

"Well, Hudson dropped by bearing a message, but before he could say anything about it, Pinata Central was all over us!" Paulie began, El sketcho still hiding behind his poker face. Tina showed showing great concern for the pretztail's story. "We got out of there no problem, but… Something happened," Paulie began to think a bit harder to recall what exactly happened. Tina slithered a bit closer, growing curious to what happened next.

"Sounds bad if you can't remember it, did you get hit on the head on the way over here?" Tina wondered. "I know the ride down isn't exactly safe, but I was certain Prewitt would have worked out all the kinks with the tunnel…" Tina scratched the back of her head with her stub of a tail.

"Maybe," Paulie shrugged it off, "but all I remember was Hudson talking about something horrible he saw inside of Pinata Central and that he needed my help with it." The pretztail could remember no more.

"Hudson made it into Pinata Central!?" Tina blurted out, eyes wide in awe at the feat. It even managed to make El Sketcho raise an eyebrow for a moment as the twingersnap went on. "You've gotta be kidding me! No one comes back alive from that place! No-body!" She glance over at Hudson, who was still peacefully snoring away.

"Well he did!" Paulie replied with just as much enthusiasm, taking pride for the horstachio as the pretztail hopped out of bed, strapping his rifle over his back. Marvin butted in once again, bringing something else entirely to the conversation.

"By the sound of it, it seems like you two are heading back into that hellhole," El Sketcho pulled himself from the wall and took a few steps closer to the group. Paulie had to think it over for a moment, wondering if that's what Hudson really intended to do.

"I… I think so," Paulie rubbed his head, trying to coax out some memories to go off of. Nothing of use came to mind as he glanced from face to face. Tina decided to flaunt her authority about in response.

"If that's the case, I won't allow it. You guys are staying here," the twingersnap ordered, causing Paulie to drop his jaw. He wasn't sure why Tina wouldn't grant them the permission to leave, but he was sure going to find out.

"What!? How come?" The pretztail scowled slightly at the twingersnap, who gave it right back to him. It wasn't like Tina to deny her friend's requests.

"We don't go poking our noses about up there and that's that!" Tina put her metaphorical foot down, refusing to budge a single inch. She would rather die than sabotage the wellbeing of everyone here.

"But-!" Paulie started, only to get cut off instantly by the twingersnap getting right in his face.

"But nothing!" She countered boldly, staring the now hesitant pretztail in the eye, "...And by some miracle you DO manage to make your way inside Pinata Central, what would you guys even plan on doing?" Tina bought the hard questions back again.

"I… I dunno, I figured Hudson would come up with something," the pretztail assumed, hoping it would get the twingersnap off of his back.

"And he laid out the welcome mat to your encampment for Pinata Central, what's to say he doesn't screw something else up when you two get out there?!" Tina blathered on carelessly. Thankfully the horstachio was still sound asleep, unable to pick up on the twingersnap's words. Paulie recoiled a bit, knowing that it _was_ Hudson's fault that the pretztail's base had come under attack by Pinata Central Forces. There was no denying that, but Paulie had to look ahead. What hudson was telling him might have given them all a chance at freedom.

"...So this is it, huh?" Was the only thing Paulie could say. "destined to grow old and die in this murky old pit? And that's if we're lucky..." Paulie knew there was the possibility of a rude awakening from Pinata Central but dared not to mention it.

"I'm not gonna argue with you about it, what I say goes," Tina slithered to the doorway, glancing back for a moment, "...Just get some rest." She left them with those words as she made her exit. El Sketcho followed suit. The mallowolf didn't say a word to the pretztail, instead giving a glare that clearly stated he would keep an eye out if the duo tried any funny business. The door closed behind them, an audible lock latching from within.

 **** **"** **Tch… I see how it is," Paulie grumbled, hoping back up into bed. There was nothing more he could do but take Tina's advice and sleep it off. He might as well get used to his new life in the sewers. The sooner the better.**


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Paulie tossed and turned in his cot. Sleep didn't come easy to the pretztail, but he got a few periods of solid shut-eye. But for him, it just wasn't enough. he couldn't convince himself to just fall asleep as much as he wish he could. It wasn't until he heard the jingling of metal on metal was he fully aroused from his napping. Blinking his eyes open, the pretztail's eyes were attacked again by the sharp flickering of the lit torches on the walls. Wiping his vision clear, he pulled himself up to a sitting position, seeing Hudson fiddling with the door lock.

"...Hudson, what are you doing?" Paulie grumbled, finding the noisy horstachio to be an annoyance.

"Busting us outta here!" Hudson kept his voice down, keeping his eyes on the prize as he fiddle around with two small rods of metal jammed into the lock.

"...Really? And where did you learn to pick locks?" Paulie was too groggy to put on any sort of amused visage.

"I put all that showbiz money to good use when we all became nobodies…" The horstachio muttered under his breath, fearing that breathing wrong would jinx the whole operation.

"...I guess looks _do_ deceive, huh Hudson," Paulie offered a weak chuckle, "and here all this time I didn't think you'd grow past being some washed up celeb," the pretztail admitted.

"I've told you I infiltrated Pinata Central and you _STILL_ believed that?!" Hudson's train of concentration was completely broken as he turned to face the pretztail, the horstachio's whole being was filled with disbelief.

"Er… Yes?" Paulie answered back awkwardly, regretting revealing such information to the horstachio.

"Bah!" Hudson snorted, feeling the sting his friend unintentionally gave him. He returned to work with a scowl, though with time the bitterness would fade. He couldn't stay mad at a friend as close as Paulie forever. Looking back, Hudson was quite a bumbling idiot who was full of himself more than he would like to admit.

"Sorry…" Paulie apologized, scooting off to the edge of his bed to observe the horstachio's handywork. Hudson kept silent, not wanting to deal with the pretztail at the moment. His major concern at the moment was busting out of this dreary place. A few more moments of fumbling went on before a huge latch gave way, hudson exhaling a huge sigh of relief. "Y'know, El Sketcho is keeping an eye out for us as well as Tina… Right?" The pretztail warned his friend, knowing that escaping this room was only half the battle.

"Yeah, I overheard," Hudson had no use for recycled information. The fact that Hudson already knew this had Paulie put off for a moment.

"But you were sleepin', how could you hear them?!" The pretztail was surprised. He had to ask himself if the horstachio was really out or not during that conversation.

"I was only putting on an act! When I knew exactly where I was when I first came to I kept my eyes closed and kept an open ear," Hudson started to let his prideful side show, "all those years of acting had really paid off I'd say!" He gave the pretztail a sly grin. Paulie rolled his eyes, realizing he should have figured that out by now.

"Oh whatever! Just don't get caught," Paulie hopped off the bed and stepped over to Hudson's side. The horstachio already flew the door wide open, having it nearly slam against the wall.

"One step closer to free-…" Hudson turned around, spotting Marvin Mallowolf standing in front of them with his arms crossed over each other. "Dom…"

"...Well we tried," Paulie shrugged his shoulders, about to head back into bed just before Hudson decided to throw a punch into El Sketcho's face. Unfortunately for Hudson, the mallowolf had years of more training than the horstachio and his acting career put together. Marvin caught the punch with his stubby paw before the swing could even get close. Without heistation, El Sketcho crushed Hudson's hoof single handedly, an audible crack followed by a sharp whinny came from the horstachio.

"That's my… Dominant hoof!" Hudson squeaked through the pain as El Sketcho released his hoof. A moan escaped the horstachio as a few bits of candy leaked from his wound while he rubbed the pain away.

"Whoa!" Paulie witnessed the whole spectacle, "calm down guys, no need to get physical!" He put his paws up and out to get the two to calm down. Though it didn't help that El Sketcho was looking for any excuse for some action.

"I ain't the one who started it," the mallowolf grumbled, eyeing up both pinatas, his eyelid twitched with anticipation, ready to throwdown if the situation called for it. Paulie approached Marvin, his paws still mid-raised.

"El Sketcho, we just wanna get outta here!" The pretztail pleaded with the unbudging mallowolf, who only gave a piercing glare in return. "Look, we don't have much to give you, and I can't really give you the gun off my back." Paulie was in no position to make a deal, but attempted to anyway. "...But if you think you can fit, I'll give you my clothes!" The pretztail offered with the most convincing grin he could muster.

"Tch, I wouldn't be caught dead looking like some towel-headed sandrat," El Sketcho growled, insulted he was even propositioned such a trade. Paulie's ears drew back as his smile faded into a fearful frown upon hearing the mallowolf's harsh words. "...Listen here," Marvin kept his voice low, taking a few steps inside before waving the duo in closer. "The only way I'm letting you go is if I'm tagging along with ya," his strange terms left the two pinatas in shock. Paulie was the first to recover from it.

"You wanna come with us?!" The pretztail asked, still unsure about the offer. El Sketcho was sketchy in more ways than one. Who's to say he would randomly decide to turn his back on them down the road? Paulie struggled with the thought, but eventually came to the conclusion that this was their only choice and chance at freedom.

"Of course I do!" The mallowolf's eyes widened as his voice cracked to its original southern hick tone for a moment. Marvin cleared his throat before speaking again with his feigned rough and tough outlaw voice, "I mean, of course I do. It's really boring down here an' I haven't seen a shootout in… Well, no one really keeps a track of time down here anymore," El Sketcho was slightly ashamed to admit the latter tidbit. It garnered a chuckle out of the pretztail.

"I'm all up for you guys getting some sun and all," Paulie began, empathizing with their lack of sunlight. "But if you're coming with us, we can't have you stirring up trouble wherever we go. We gotta keep a low profile until we reach inside Pinata Central again," the pretztail had to lay down the ground rules.

"Alright," Marvin crossed his arms, casually gazing at Paulie, "but if we got any of them Pinata Central goonies tailing us, all bets are off." The mallowolf wasn't afraid of a little violent altercation, granted if the group they encountered was small enough to be dealt with quickly and efficiently.

"That's what we're trying to avoid!" Paulie exclaimed quietly while the horstachio continued to rub out his hoof. Suddenly, El Sketcho lit up with an idea, eyes bright and a grin pressing through his cloth mask.

"I might just know a guy who could help us get a little bit closer to Pinata Central unnoticed! Wait here!" Marvin shut the door on them for a brief moment, only to open it again a few seconds later. He presented to them a large open wooden crate, propped up on a flat bed cart. Taking a dramatic pose with arms extended, El Sketcho gestured them inside enthusiastically. Hudson and Paulie exchanged confused glances, shrugging at each other. "Oh come on! Just get in already!" Marvin growled, stomping forward at them. The pair gasped and jumped at the angry mallowolf's outburst, following orders instantly after. Paulie was the first to hop inside.

"I guess it's better than rotting away in that boring ol' cell," the pretztail commented, remaining positive over the situation.

"You've got a point," Hudson chimed in, tip-toeing into the large box cautiously, "It still doesn't help that this makes me a bit claustrophobic…" The horstachio admitted as he sat down with the pretztail.

"Oh come on Hudson! You've been through worse!" Paulie tried to encourage his friend. Things only got worse for the horstachio as El Sketcho began to pour a large bag of packing peanuts into the box, swiftly filling up over his snout.

"This isn't help- _ping_ …" The horstachio spoke through the pile of styrofoam bits, making sure none of it got in his mouth. His whining didn't go unheard, the mallowolf's ears twitch at his words.

"Quiet!" Marvin gave the crate a swift kick, "cargo ain't supposed ta' talk!" He barked at them before applying the top over them, shrouding them in total darkness. The sharp hum of a drill could be heard from outside the crate, soon driving in screws to the top, securing the duo inside. It also proved to spike Hudson's anxiety even more, causing his teeth to chatter. The crate was convincing cover, but it wasn't sound proof. Paulie out of all pinatas knew this very well.

Keeping calm, the pretztail sifted through the styrofoam to physically quell the horstachio's chattering with his paws. "Hudson, you need to be quiet if we wanna get outta here!" Paulie kept his voice to a whisper. The horstachio nodded with a nervous, brief hum and brushed off the pretztail's paws, replacing them with his own hooves.

Things were going smoothly as the wheels began to turn, pushing the duo into motion. Scooting back to his side of the box, Paulie dug about to search for a crack between the planks to spy through. He peeked through as Marvin navigated the damp, solid terrain. They had passed by a few unfamiliar faces, nobody had suspected anything. That is until they came to a full stop at Tina. Paulie pulled back slightly as he swore the twingersnap could see right through to him. Keeping his eye on her, he saw her glance up at was he assumed was El Sketcho.

"I thought I put you on watch duty..." She glared at the mallowolf. The pretztail longed to see the look on Marvin's face. El Sketcho cleared his throat before going on, wishing he hadn't bumped into the twingersnap in the first place.

"Uh, forgot there was a few things I needed to send off to Prewitt before he leaves for the big trip to the um... Other base," El Sketcho worded his sentence carefully, not wanting to bring up the name of the twingersnap's other half in fear of incurring her verbal wrath.

"Yeah?" Tina eyed up the box once again, wondering what the mallowolf was really up to. "Well make it quick, I don't trust those two by themselves for a second," she hissed, expressing her suspicion before leaving, slithering past Paulie's view.

 **** **"** **I hear ya," Marvin nodded, resuming their pace towards their destination. A short sigh of relief slipped out of the pretztail's mouth. With the worst behind them, they were clear the rest of the way there, or until Tina would eventually find out that the pair busted out with the mallowolf.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The squeaky cart came to a stop at the profitamole feet, The yellow pinata's back blocking most of Paulie's view. Hudson was surprisingly still composed, or at least as far as the pretztail could tell through the packaging. Keeping an eye out, Paulie anticipated what would happen next.

"Prewitt," El sketcho called for the profitamole's attention. The short stocky pinata turned around, hearing his name spoken by the mallowolf. "I got a package here for ya, need ya to take it to Teddington... Along with me," Marvin added the last bit as casually as he could.

"Well you caught me just in time then," Prewitt replied in his usual happy demeanor. "Uh, though why do you need to come with all of a sudden?" The profitamole asked, confused over Marvin's request. Usually Prewitt took his cargo journeys alone.

"Private matters with the head honcho over there, best not to ask questions, amigo," the mallowolf discouraged Prewitt's concerns, knowing that the information of his intentions would put the profitamole in more danger than he would be if he was blissfully unaware.

"Er… Okay then." Prewitt hesitated, his hunch telling him something was amiss, though he didn't dare to find himself on El Sketcho's bad side. "Just add your crate with the other supplies and jump in," the profitamole waved him on.

"Gladly," Mavin replied, wheeling the cart toward the open trailer train, lined with other crates. Taking a deep breath in, Marvin hauled the box up and onto the trailer, Giving it a few pats on the top before hopping in with the rest of the cargo. The two pinatas were slightly disoriented from the maneuver, but kept silent. "You're doing great guys," the mallowolf whispered silently behind the box, away from Prewitt's eyes.

"Hope you brought something to eat at least!" Prewitt called out as he ran to the head of the train, "It's gonna be a long ride!" The mallowolf already knew how long Prewitt's trips took, luckily he had developed the stomach to sustain such a trip. He wasn't so sure about the other two pinatas however.

" _Let's hope they like the taste of styrofoam_ ," El Sketcho thought with a soft chuckle. Steam hissed from the exhaust as they began to crawl into motion, eventually picking up some speed. Paule shuffled his way back to the crack in the crate, seeing Marvin sitting himself up again another box.

"Psst, El Sketcho!" Paulie signaled for the mallowolf's attention, tapping gently on the walls as well. Marvin peeked over briefly before scooting closer to the pretztail.

"What is it?" Mavin hoped to Pinator that it wasn't the start of the ' _Are we there yet_?' chant. If that was the case, he wouldn't hesitate to kick the box off and let them walk the rest of the way there. But such things were beyond Paulie, though Hudson on the other hand…

"You never told us exactly where we were going!" Paulie replied, hoping he didn't have to ask to get another answer. El Sketcho glared into the small hole in the box, knowing Paulie was on the other side.

"We're headin' to the northern base, up in the arctic mountains," Marvin revealed with a dark chuckle, "...Hope you guys brought something warm to wrap up with," he joked with them a little too harshly.

"Yeah, well look who's talking," Paulie countered, seeing that the mallowolf ensemble was made up of only accessories. "Good luck stayin' warm in that belt and hat of yours!" The pretztail's words hadn't stung the Mallowolf at all.

"I don't think I'll need ta' worry," El sketcho brandished a throwing knife slowly, gliding a careful paw over its sharp edges, "I might skin myself a niiice pretztail coat if I'm needin' the warmth," his cold jokes hit Paulie hard.

"Hey! We're in this together!" Paulie bashed a fist against the wooden wall, "You better not even _THINK_ of turning your back on us!" He argued, hoping this wasn't a convoluted trap all along. However it was crazy to think that the mallowolf sacrificed his position within Tina's base just to off two pinatas out of pure boredom. They were past the point of no return, it was a stretch to believe that El Sketcho would do what he pleased with them, but it was extremely convincing at the moment.

"I'd be mighty careful if I was you," the mallowolf leaned forward towards the hole once again, peering inside with an eye. "Because I'm not the one in the box!" Marvin pulled back and jabbed the knife into the hole, missing the recoiling pretztail by a few maches. Paulie caught his breath as El Sketcho drew his knife back. "...Then again, I might just be pulling yer' leg because it's gonna be a _looong_ uneventful trip," The mallowolf clarified, coaxing a sigh of relief from the pretztail. "-Good luck figgerin' out which!" Marvin's voice cracked into a hick tone as Paulie's eyes shot open. It was going to be a long ride indeed.

Paulie shuffled through the mess over to Hudson, who was already passed out from claustrophobia by this point. _Geez, for someone who's snuck into Pinata Central, he's sure got some pretty strange fears._ The pretztail shook his head in disappointment. He didn't want to get stuck dealing with El Sketcho alone, " _Still, lucky son of a-"_ The mallowolf interrupted the pretztail's thoughts with a request.

"...Hand me some of them packing nuts would'ya?" He reached out an upwards facing paw, waving in a few times for the pretztail to pass some out through the hole in the box. It had Paulie wanting to ask more questions about the mallowolf's diet, but knew better not to, not while he was still in the box.

 _You can't be serious_... The pretztail thought to himself, gathering up a handful of peanuts before shoving them through to the mallowolf. It was then that Paulie's stomach began to growl, reminding him he needed to eat as well. Watching the Mallowolf pop the styrofoam nuggets into his mouth didn't help either. _They can't be_ that _bad… Can they?_ The pretztail scooped one into his mouth with his tongue.

Letting it sit in his mouth, Paulie took in the salty flavor before chewing it up and swallowing it. _Bleh! ...Eh, I've had worse._ The pretztail admitted to himself, recalling the moment he attempted to eat soil from a potted plant in a rotting hut out in the arctic.

He shoved a handful into his mouth. His hunger taking over his better judgement. As hungry as the pretztail was. The peanuts weren't as satisfying as he thought they'd be. Hopefully there was something savory to spare at the arctic base.


	8. Chapter 7

A long, silent game of five sided pretztail fellet later, the crew and ended up in the arctic base. "We're here!" Prewitt called out from the front, snapping Marvin from his idle game. Plucking his knife from the box and placing it back in its holster, the mallowolf stood up from his crouched position and leaned against the box.

"I'll be takin' my leave here then, many thanks Prewitt," Marvin tipped his at the approaching Profitamole before unloading his box from the train trailer. He waited until he was out of sight from Prewitt before speaking to his allies. "We're clear boys, ready for some fresh air?" Marvin jabbed his knife through the lid, prying it open. The dim lights of the cavern system poured in, gently gracing the dazed duo's eyes. Hudson groaned as he was nudged away by the pretztail.

"Hey, I was catching up on my beauty sleep!" The horstachio pouted before getting forcefully booted out of the crate by an irritated Paulie.

"You can sleep later! We're on a mission because of you, remember?" The pretztail reminded his friend of their objective. "The question is… How are we reaching Pinata Central from the Pinartic?" Paulie was locked in thought as he climbed out of the box. Marvin kicked the box aside, leaving it in the dust as it was past its usefulness. "You still with us El Sketcho?" He pulled the mallowolf's attention from his destruction.

"'Course I am, as long as you can promise the action, I'll stick with you guys. better than rotting underground with Tina." Before he could even realize what was happening, a familiar face caught up with them.

"Rotting underground with WHO now?" It was none other than half of the twingersnap herself. Slick enough to hitch a ride with them with anyone knowing. Hudson and Pauile stood in shock, stuck between flight and fight. Marvin was only slightly embarrassed that he was caught red-handed.

"Well… Shiitake Tina, you caught us, but you realize it's three on one right?" The mallowolf refused to be intimidated by the lone twingersnap, standing his ground as he prepared for a hoedown. Though Tina wasn't that dumb, she knew the odds were against her.

"I'm not BLIND, Sketcho. I can see that," Tina scowled, knowing she would be returning empty handed. "You know this isn't a fight we can win! I'm warnin' you, don't stir the pot!" The Tingersnap tried to convince the mallowolf and company to stand down.

"I'm tired of sitting around shovin' and twiddling my thumbs up where the sun don't shine, Tina!" Marvin grew a bit defensive against his leader's words. "If I'm gonna die in this Pinator forsaken wasteland, I'd rather go out fightin'," the mallowolf took his stand.

"So you'd jeopardize us all just because you're bored?!" Tina scoffed, unable to believe the things Marvin was spewing out. Hudson and Paulie could only stand and watch their bickering unfold.

"You know I'm a drifter Tina, you can't chain me down! I'll go down guns blazing before I die in a damp, musty cot!" El Sketcho prematurely cut off the conversation, taking his leave towards the base. Hudson followed suit though Paulie was sympathetic enough to at least give an explanation to Tina.

"Look this is important to Hudson and all pinata kind we do this, we might not have another shot to bring things back to the way they were before Tina! I believe in him and so should you," Paulie still couldn't give the reason why followed Hudson, all he knew was he had a plan and needed Paulie. He just hoped that Hudson could prevail.

"Sure, trust the third biggest bimbo of the show! And when you help Pinata Central bring the sky down on us, know that I'll _Never_ forgive you!" Tina slithered off, only to get stopped by a chunky chippopotamus guard. "Pardon me," She attempted to sneak past him, only to get nearly beheaded by his battle axe.

"Outsiders aren't permitted here," He uttered with a growl, paralysing Tina to the bone with fear. Paulie's quick thinking kicked into gear and snatched the twinggersnap as swiftly scurried over to Hudson and Sketcho's location… Only to find more of the same. Marvin was apprehended on the floor as the shackles were applied onto his limbs. Hudson had surrendered peacefully, still standing with his restraints.

"Well we're in it now…" The pretztail raised his hands, signaling his surrender as well. Tina was swiped from his shoulder and both were quickly arrested as well. "Here's hoping they don't execute us." He tried to stay positive, but was plagued by the state of their situation.


End file.
